Lacoste struck a three-year licensing deal with the IOC to produce an exclusive “Olympic Heritage” lifestyle apparel collection celebrating past Games. The first products available in the collaboration will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France, and the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City. The deal runs through the 2020 Olympics and will include a new collection each season. Lacoste will produce men’s clothing and accessories -- no word from the IOC on a women’s line -- and will be available to start in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. The line will not initially be distributed in the U.S., however “an agreement to distribute this Lacoste product in the U.S. is in the works,” a source said. Generally speaking, the USOC handles licensing domestically and does not participate in the IOC’s global licensing business. Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren are the current apparel partners of the USOC.
In a statement, the IOC said that its heritage collection is part of its global licensing strategy that seeks to build a more robust merchandising revenue stream for the Olympics and connect with different kinds of fans. “[The heritage collection] centers on past Olympic Games, lifestyle and high-end products with limited editions aiming to connect the audience with Olympic history through the art and design of previous editions. The target is thus not the typical Olympic spectator and fan, but rather Olympic enthusiasts and anyone who would like to own a piece of Olympic history.” TOP sponsor Alibaba is currently building an e-commerce platform for the IOC, where these products and others like them would eventually be sold.
